Charles Dickens had a unique talent: he was equally great at heart-wrenching dramas, hilarious short stories, uplifting Christmas tales, travelogues, and even historical books. Yes, he was a pretty versatile writer and always put his heart and soul into every single project.

Still, A Child’s History is a bit unusual even for Dickens, as was the author’s attempt to make the boring and exhausting history of the United Kingdom exciting and thrilling enough for the little ones to like it. That was a truly grandiose “mission”, but, judging by the critical response and the rave reviews by the regular parents, he managed to deliver an instant classic.

Charles Dickens And His Entertaining History Lessons

The work saw the light of day in a serial form back in 1851, with new chapters hitting the shelves up until late ’53. At the same time, it was also available as a book in 3 mighty volumes. Actually, the first volume became available earlier than the first installment in the writer’s weekly magazine, which is quite a rare thing in his career.

In the introduction, Dickens claimed that he wrote this book for his lovely kids. The idea was to make the subject interesting enough for his children so that they would move on to bigger, better and more sophisticated history books.

The work covers the events since 50 BC all the way up to 1689. The last chapter is dedicated to the events from then until the arrival of one of the greatest Queens to ever rule the kingdom – Victoria. It’s worth mentioning that this book was included in the educational program for the little ones in the United Kingdom.

Turning History Into A Gripping Tale

Furthermore, consecutive editions had been published from the original date – 1851 – to WW2. The greatest thing about this book is the fact that even though it’s written for the children, it will be equally interesting for the grown-ups.

And, despite the fact that it’s not a fictional book, Dickens used his writing brilliance to create a pretty gripping course into history, turning the kings, the queens, and the royal families into the main characters. That allowed him to grab the attention of the readers, making them turn the pages in an attempt to learn the end of the story.

The critics called it an exceptional new method of teaching history and that is exactly why the book was made a part of the official school program. Volume one describes Mother England from the ancient times Before Christ all the way up to the passing of the brave King John.

Following England’s Path From Ancient Times To Queen Victoria

Volume #2 chronicles the events that took place after Henry the 3rd became the new king to the days of Richard the 3rd’s reign. And finally, the last volume follows the country’s path from that day to the grand revolution (in 1688, of course).

Charles Dickens didn’t take any sides in this book and never tried to change and/or “reshape” any historical fact. He wanted to make history interesting for the kids, but not at the price of changing real events to his liking. So, don’t worry about that – A Child’s History is as authentic as any book can be.

At the same time, Dickens didn’t want to be an objective narrator as most of the historians and shared his opinion about every single event and historical character. For example, he described Henry VIII as a brutal, vicious human being, a terrible leader, and a monster.

Yes, the master wasn’t afraid to share his own opinion about certain historical figures, even though he did know better than anyone that some folks wouldn’t appreciate his bold and straightforward manner.

Not Your Regular Objective Book

You won’t see a description like that one in any “politically-correct” book. Besides, folks don’t usually use that language when talking to the kids. But that’s actually the biggest achievement of this fine piece of art. The truth is a powerful thing, and you can conquer the hearts and minds of the children only if you speak the truth and nothing but it.

The brisk, lively and sometimes a bit extreme writing style is what got the kids excited and allowed Dickens to introduce them to the real picture of the ancient rulers. The ruthless Popes that burned countless innocents for their religion; the princes that took advantage of their royal status; the mad kings that nearly ruined the kingdom – you’ll read about all that in this highly provocative, resonating and simply awesome book.

At the end of the day, it’s safe to say that if you want your little boys and girls to love history instead of hating it and skipping the class, buy this book and ask them to give it a chance. Who knows, maybe they’ll like what the legendary English writer had to say and appreciate the country’s epic story?